Catherine's Story
by my media fixation
Summary: Back in the 70s Carlisle had helped a young woman when she needed it most, now 30 years later they are reunited against all odds. What will the cullen familly make of Catherine? Will romance blossom and with who? And how will this affect Bella?
1. Chapter 1

Hey readers, thanks for giving my story a chance. It's actually a really bad time for me to start writing this what with exams very soon but I just got this idea into my head and had to write about it.

So basically this is before the events of the Twilight books and will eventually catch up with them. I'm afraid I've de-existed some of the beloved characters including Esme and Alice (Sorry). Also I've added witches/wizards to the mix (although not the wand-waving type) but this is just a minor detail, it is mainly a vampire/Cullen story.

I was actually inspired to write this story, randomly, by Keira Knightley's new advert for Womens'Aid (and I imagine Catherine to look like her).

I really don't know where the story is heading yet so constructive criticism would be nice. I think this chapter might seem like it will be a Carlisle love story but that's not necessarily true. I still haven't decided lol.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Catherine and Craig, all the rest belong to Stephanie Meyer

London 1973

Catherine sat at kitchen table, nervously flicking through some cheap magazine-pretending to herself that she was reading it and not just clock-watching. It was now nearly 3am and she hadn't seen him since 10. He'd said he was 'going out'. Catherine knew better than to ask where or for how long. She didn't dare go to bed, only a week before she'd been awoken with a blow to the head and him screaming at her.

"Who said you could go to bed, huh!? When I come home I expect my girlfriend to be waiting for me, not snoring away you lazy slut!" He'd roared as he raised his fist again.

Catherine cringed at the memory. She wondered why she hadn't got used to it by now. It had been over a year since she'd met Craig. Back then she'd been one of the 'it' crowd. Too cool for school and ready to try anything dangerous, anything that her father wouldn't approve of. _Craig was dangerous all right,_ she thought bitterly, _just not the way I had imagined._

_No! I shouldn't think like that. I love Craig. He just has problems with his temper that's all._

And there were times that she truly loved Craig. As terrifying as he was one day, he could be as sweet and loving the next. All her friends were dying of jealousy at their 'perfect' relationship. _They have no idea._

Just then the front door slammed. Catherine held her breath, anxious to see if he was in a good mood tonight. "Darling? Is that you? Cra-" She stopped short as she saw his stony face. _Not again, please._ But God, fate or whoever she prayed to wasn't listening tonight. The beating that followed was one of the worst she'd received so far. Once he'd passed out in a drunken stupor, Catherine crawled to the phone. Although blood was pouring from a head wound, her arm stuck out at a funny angle and her chest felt so broken she could hardly breathe; she could not ring an ambulance. Catherine could not allow people to know she was a victim of domestic abuse; they'd take Craig away from her.

There was only one person she could trust with her secret. He had heard her sobbing one day from her open window as she was trying to remove a piece of glass from her hand; a result of a heated argument with Craig over breakfast. It hadn't been long before his honest face, alluring voice and obvious compassion had gotten the truth out of her. Not only a good man but also an excellent doctor he'd offered his assistance to her, free-of-charge, whenever she needed it. And she'd needed it a lot.

Catherine sighed with relief now as she knew he was on his way. All she had to do was ring his number and within minutes he was there in the doorway: a tall figure with shining golden hair and deep, caring eyes; her glorious guardian angel. Or so he seemed to Catherine at times like this.

"Carlisle." She whispered apologetically, embarrassed to find herself in this situation once more.

Lithely he picked up and carried Catherine's broken body away to his home and makeshift emergency room.

"I had hoped we wouldn't see each other again. Well, at least not like this." His soothing voice was a pain-reliever stronger than any aspirin, as he got to work on repairing her.

Catherine bowed her head in shame. "I know I said the last time that I'd leave him...but I just...can't." Her voice broke on the last word. _Why am I so weak? _He took her face gently in his hands and gravely observed the dark bruises that were forming there before attending to the seeping wound on her forehead,

"I know it's not easy for you, but if you don't leave him there may come a time when I won't be able to put you back together again. You're so young, Catherine. You're wasting yourself on him." His beautiful face was twisted in concern for her. He grew quieter as he tightly wrapped her broken ribs. "Also...," he added and then paused for a while, considering how to say it. _It's not like Carlisle to be hesitant,_ she frowned. "What's wrong, Carlisle?"

He sighed "I'm going to be leaving London soon. Very soon in fact. I should have told you earlier, I'm sorry. It's just time for me and my family to move on."

This news cut deeper than Catherine would have predicted. Carlisle was the only person in the world who knew what she was going through and he was leaving her! They didn't actually spend any time together other than when she needed his medical help, but the frequent occasions over the last year or so were enough for a bond to form between them. He was like a father to her. She hid these emotions by pretending to observe her bandaged wrist with interest. "Oh." was all she could bear to say.

"I'd invite you to come with me, to be part of my family." His honey-coloured eyes beseeched hers.

Catherine's heart ached as she considered the unexpected offer. As tempting as it was, she already knew she wouldn't go.

"I can see you've made up your mind. You must truly love him." Carlisle sighed unhappily for the young girl, not even eighteen and yet so stubbornly tied to this beast of a man. He was afraid to leave her defenceless.

"I'd better drive you home." Carlisle finally broke the silence. After the quiet car journey Carlisle helped her to her door. Silently they embraced. Moments passed as he held her in his cold but safe arms. They didn't need to voice their thoughts; both were painfully aware that this was goodbye, for the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

Okay second chapter, hope you like.

Disclaimer: still don't own the vampire characters

Chapter 2-Forks 2009

Catherine Brown refused to feel nervous about her first day at work at Forks High School. She'd only moved to town a week before, and had spent most of it pacing her small flat above the camping/hiking store going through her lesson plans once more in her head. She's worked in many schools before this one, but as she trudged towards the school entrance she couldn't help feeling apprehensive. _Something is different about this place._ Whether it was good or not, she'd just have to wait and see.

Her attention was just then caught by four incredibly beautiful, graceful and very pale students appearing out of a shiny silver Volvo. The driver was a stunning, brooding brunette. Catherine couldn't believe a place like Forks could contain a being such as him. He was Hollywood material. Stood next to him two figures were entwined in a passionate kiss; another Hollywood-worthy being, only this one was a striking blonde girl, was attached to a massive, muscled young man. _Could he really be only 17?!_ Ripping her gaze from these Catherine was finally able to focus on the fourth figure. Although equally as beautiful as the rest this guy seemed to hold her attention for another reason. There was something in his stance that was both charming and yet threatening. His long lithe body and messy blonde hair had Catherine staring at him for a little longer than was polite. She suddenly became aware that the brooding brunette boy was now staring at **her.** As if stung by an electric shock she suddenly threw herself into walking full speed towards the school, embarrassed beyond measure. _Brilliant! First day as a teacher and I'm caught ogling at the students. _

And yet something about the foursome continued to bug her all through her first lesson, making it hard to concentrate on teaching the kids their American History. It wasn't until just before lunch when the brooding brunette boy entered her classroom that she finally began to grasp what her instincts were screaming at her. _His smell._ As it wafted past her she was hit with such a sense of déjà-vu. Finally the pieces fell together. _Their pale skin, their beautiful faces, their graceful movements, that unnaturally good smell. _They all reminded her of **him: **that kind and mysterious doctor who all those years ago had helped Catherine so much.

It had been years since she'd thought of him, although at first she thought she'd never forget. She had always known at the time that Carlisle was something special, something perhaps not even human. But her sensible nature and desperate situation had prevented her from pondering on it too long. Then, just a handful of months after she'd said her last goodbye to him, something insane had happened. She and Craig were having a picnic in one of the small grassy parks that could be found within the hustle and bustle of central London. It was one of his good days. The days when he could make her laugh, kiss her tenderly and shower her with treats and surprises. Catherine was so wrapped up in her rare happiness that day. But she had to turn and look at the sound of a loud horn on the road next to them and turned just in time to see that a car had swerved off the road and was now headed straight towards were they sat. Catherine screamed once and closed her eyes not ready for death to take her yet. She felt suddenly dizzy and disorientated, it was too quiet and the seconds were dragging longer than should be possible. Timidly she opened her eyes and screamed louder than before. There was no car hurtling towards her but neither was there a park, Craig or anything else that had been there a second before. Instead she was in an oddly familiar room.

That was the first time she'd ever teleported. She'd run out of Carlisle's old house and through the streets of London, her mind spinning out of control at what had happened. Eventually she walked to the park where she still should have been, lying dead under a car. But when she got there it was just Craig who they were taking away under a sheet in a stretcher while she stood alive on sidewalk. Trying to keep hold of her sanity as her mind boggled over the impossibility and her heart wrenched at the loss of her Craig she sunk to the pavement in a faint. So it wasn't very hard for the man to pull her into a van. Her kidnappers, once they'd calmed her down, had explained it all. She wasn't human. She was a witch. They were the Volturi: a vast group of witches, wizards, vampires and shape shifters whose purpose was to monitor, govern and protect all the 'special' individuals of the world and ensure that the human population did not discover them. Wizards and witches were immortals. They were born and went through childhood just like humans and were as physically vulnerable as them. Although time and disease couldn't kill them, they needed a fully working body to survive. It was a hereditary gift so Catherine had concluded that her mother, whom she'd never known, must have been a witch. Each witch/wizard had a single gift. Hers was to teleport. Based on what they had told her she'd figured out what Carlisle had been or still was: a vampire.

They told her the rules, showed her how to live without detection and set her free into the world again. Since then she'd travelled the world, become educated in several different subjects and been occupied in a variety of jobs. Teaching had become her favourite over the years; she liked to feel that she was making some positive impact in world by teaching generations of humans.

Her thoughts eventually brought her back to the present were she stood in front of a silent class of extremely worried students gazing at her in confusion. _Christ! How long have I been standing here?! What must they think!?_ Snapping back into normal-human-teacher mode she snapped at the class for not getting her out of her 'daydreaming' earlier and set them on a task. But one student was still staring intently at her. Catherine warily regarded the vampire boy. His eyes were gold, not red, so she knew he didn't prey on humans. He was still staring at her in the most bizarre way. _Surely he can smell that I am not human? Has he not met a witch before now?_ Pretending to be annoyed that he had not started the set task she walked over to him and demanded to know his name.

"Edward Cullen." He replied in an enchanting voice. Catherine nearly choked in pleasant surprise. _Cullen, yes that had been his name, Carlisle Cullen. _Uncontrollably Catherine broke out in a huge grin. She could have hugged him. She wanted to ask immediately if he knew Carlisle but she caught another students staring at her and Edward with wary eyes.

_Way to introduce yourself to a new class_ she sighed, still not quite losing the blush from the mortifying experience. _First you go catatonic and now manic smiling._ Getting a hold of herself she went back to her desk and focused on getting through the lesson in a normal way. She would talk to Edward at the end of class. Glancing up at him she saw that he was still looking at her but this time in a friendly way, it almost felt like he **knew.**


End file.
